Introduction
Starting in the late-nineteenth century, by 1900 Muncie was
in the full throes of an industrial boom.
The natural gas industry and other firms had doubled their presence
between 1890 and 1900, so that by 1900, Delaware County had 481 firms, with
most housed in Muncie. Muncie’s
population also rapidly grew and numbered around 21,000 in 1900.
It was in this environment that the Muncie Public Library found itself. Opening in 1875, the library was most likely outgrowing its space by the start of the twentieth century. Indeed, in 1902 a new library opened after Andrew Carnegie gave the town a grant to construct a new library. However, in 1900, the library was still housed in the city building, where there was also a reading room. Katherine Wilson was the main librarian, supported by a library board. The late-nineteenth century was a time of public library growth professionalization across the whole country, and the American Library Association (ALA) was founded in 1876
In 1900, Muncie Public Library lent out 23,591 books and accessioned 1206 new books. Both of these were an increase on the previous year. However, only 410 new books were purchased by the Library Board. These may have been bought on the recommendation of various lists published by sources like the ALA or the State Library of New York. Others were donations by private persons, authors, and publishers. Based on the Annual Report, I am unsure as to whether other books also came from City Council, or if re-bound books were also newly accessioned, since donation numbers given do not add up to the total new books. The Daughters of the Revolution and the Christian Science Society also donated periodical subscriptions in their interests.
Library collections were influenced by donors, librarians, and users. Many librarians in the late-nineteenth and early-twentieth centuries were motivated by a sense of improving society through education. In rapidly growing Muncie, could the library have been viewed as a progressive force in the town? Librarians believed that literature could be a way to promote good values in society, but on the other hand, it could also be morally corrupting. Censorship and strict selection policies were therefore commonplace in libraries around 1900, especially for children’s literature.
Children’s literature itself was on the rise, concurrent with the idea of childhood as a separate period of life, and a pure, innocent period at that. There was still less division between children and adult literature, many books written for readers of all ages, though this was changing as children’s literature developed into its own genre. Many expressed concern over what children were reading, and about the large amount of dime novels and series which were not “pure” enough. In the 1890s, differences between books for boys and books for girls also became more apparent. Books read predominantly by children are clearly seen in Muncie.
In the rest of my project, I will explore some of the reading trends in Muncie in 1900. In particular, I wanted to look at what was read. In order to do this, I also had to have a sense of who the patrons of the library were. This project will provide a general overview of the data findings, therefore leaving many questions open for further inquiry. Continue on to find out more.
It was in this environment that the Muncie Public Library found itself. Opening in 1875, the library was most likely outgrowing its space by the start of the twentieth century. Indeed, in 1902 a new library opened after Andrew Carnegie gave the town a grant to construct a new library. However, in 1900, the library was still housed in the city building, where there was also a reading room. Katherine Wilson was the main librarian, supported by a library board. The late-nineteenth century was a time of public library growth professionalization across the whole country, and the American Library Association (ALA) was founded in 1876
In 1900, Muncie Public Library lent out 23,591 books and accessioned 1206 new books. Both of these were an increase on the previous year. However, only 410 new books were purchased by the Library Board. These may have been bought on the recommendation of various lists published by sources like the ALA or the State Library of New York. Others were donations by private persons, authors, and publishers. Based on the Annual Report, I am unsure as to whether other books also came from City Council, or if re-bound books were also newly accessioned, since donation numbers given do not add up to the total new books. The Daughters of the Revolution and the Christian Science Society also donated periodical subscriptions in their interests.
Library collections were influenced by donors, librarians, and users. Many librarians in the late-nineteenth and early-twentieth centuries were motivated by a sense of improving society through education. In rapidly growing Muncie, could the library have been viewed as a progressive force in the town? Librarians believed that literature could be a way to promote good values in society, but on the other hand, it could also be morally corrupting. Censorship and strict selection policies were therefore commonplace in libraries around 1900, especially for children’s literature.
Children’s literature itself was on the rise, concurrent with the idea of childhood as a separate period of life, and a pure, innocent period at that. There was still less division between children and adult literature, many books written for readers of all ages, though this was changing as children’s literature developed into its own genre. Many expressed concern over what children were reading, and about the large amount of dime novels and series which were not “pure” enough. In the 1890s, differences between books for boys and books for girls also became more apparent. Books read predominantly by children are clearly seen in Muncie.
In the rest of my project, I will explore some of the reading trends in Muncie in 1900. In particular, I wanted to look at what was read. In order to do this, I also had to have a sense of who the patrons of the library were. This project will provide a general overview of the data findings, therefore leaving many questions open for further inquiry. Continue on to find out more.
Sources:
"1874-1902 Muncie Public Library Board minutes and reports." Ball State University Digital Media Repository. http://libx.bsu.edu/cdm/compoundobject/collection/WMRead/id/6009/rec/4 (accessed June 15, 2013).
1899-1900 Emerson’s Muncie Directory. Ball State University Digital Media Repository,http://libx.bsu.edu/cdm/compoundobject/collection/MunCityDirs/id/5373 (accessed June 15, 2013).
“Best 50 Books of 1900.” New York Times. April 6, 1901.
“History of the Library.” Muncie Public Library. http://www.munciepubliclibrary.org/history-of-the-library/ (accessed June 15, 2013).
Lundin, Anne. “Little ‘Pilgrims’ Progress’: Literary Horizons for Children’s Literature.” Libraries & Culture 41 (2006): 133-152.
Marcus, Deanna B. “The Rural Public Library in America at the Turn of the Century.” Libraries & Culture 26 (1991): 87-99.
Muncie Times. Muncie of today: its commerce, trade, and industries: descriptive and historical. Muncie, IN, 1895.
Stielow, Frederick J. “Censorship in the Early Professionalization of American Libraries, 1876-1929.” The Journal of Library History 18 (1983): 37-54.
Taylor, Robert M. Jr. et al. Indiana: A New Historical Guide. Indianapolis: Indiana Historical Society, 1989.
Wiegand, Wayne A. Main Street Public Library: Community Places and Reading Spaces in the Rural Heartland, 1876-1956. Iowa City: University of Iowa Press, 2011.